I signed the lease on a Thursday at 6:40 p.m., at my desk in my old bedroom, on a laptop, with my mom standing in the doorway pretending she wasn't watching. It took about thirty seconds. Twelve months, June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027. Then my mom said "oh, Meg" and went to get a tissue, which I should have seen coming. She cries at graduations, and apparently at electronic signatures.
So it's official. Starting June 1, I'm renting a studio in south Evanston for $1,295 a month.
It's the top-floor studio I wrote about last month, on the third floor of a 1920s brick courtyard building. About 480 square feet, a short walk to the Main Street Purple Line stop and Metra. Heat and water are included in the rent, which matters a lot to me after a January that sat below zero for most of a week. Gas stove, no dishwasher, no central air. One big window looks down over the courtyard, which has a tree that's just starting to bud out.
The extras I'm paying for: a parking spot in the back lot for $50 a month, and the shared laundry in the basement, which runs $2.50 a wash and $2.00 a dry.
Before I applied, I checked my free score in my bank app. It was 752, up from 668 when I started this blog a little over a year ago. That old 30-day late payment from November 2023 is still on my report, but there's a lot of on-time history piled on top of it now. The application was one screening, with income verification from my pay stubs and a $50 fee. I was approved in two business days.
I went in with a folder: two recent pay stubs, my offer letter showing the raise to $49,800, a bank statement and a short note with my move-in date. I don't know if the folder helped, but it made me feel like someone who has her act together, which was half the battle.
What I paid upfront
Here's what has already come out of the move fund:
- Application fee: $50
- Security deposit: $1,295, paid at signing
First month's rent, another $1,295, is due on or before June 1. So the total to get the keys is $2,640. I've saved $3,600 in the move fund so far, so after the deposit and application there's $2,255 left in it, with one more $900 month to come in May. That leaves room for movers, secondhand furniture and the basics, if I stay on track.
What I actually read in the lease
I read the whole thing, every page, the night before I signed. My dad read it too, twice, because he reads everything twice. The parts I paid the most attention to:
The security deposit section, especially how it's held and when it comes back after I move out, and what can be deducted. I plan to take timestamped photos and video of every wall, floor and appliance on move-in day.
The renters insurance requirement. The building requires at least $100,000 in liability coverage, so I've started getting quotes. That's my homework for the rest of April.
Air conditioning. The lease allows window units with management's written approval and a proper support bracket. I emailed and got the approval in writing before signing. Summer on a top floor without AC is not a plan, it's a dare.
Renewal and notice rules. I want to know well ahead of time what happens next spring.
What scared me
The rent is about 45% of my take-home pay, which is about $2,886 a month after the raise. I've said that before and I'll keep saying it. It's high. It's the price of living alone, close to the lake and the train, in this part of the Chicago area on my salary.
The budget works, but it works without much cushion. To make room, I'm planning to drop my student loan payment from $800 to $550 a month starting in June. My loans are around $10,500 right now, and I'll still be paying more than the standard amount. That trade felt bad to make. I spent all of last year attacking those loans, and slowing down feels like going backwards, even though I know it isn't.
The other scary part is less about money. I've never lived alone. In Rogers Park I had Tess, and here I have my parents, Juno barking at the mail carrier and Sunday dinners. In seven weeks it'll just be me and a radiator. I think I'll be fine. I also think the first quiet Sunday night is going to be weird.
My mom has already asked what color towels I'm getting. I don't know yet. I know exactly what the deposit is, though.
